After the heavy dinner, the four girls strolled through the quieting mall, most shoppers having retreated for the night. Mrunali trailed behind her companions, enjoying her full stomach and sweet gulab jamun sugar high. The unpleasant encounters from earlier floated to the back of her mind, and her spirits lifted after laughing and chatting freely with her sister and cousins over spicy biryani.
Meera suddenly paused, clapping her hands together. "Oh! I just remembered that new vrukshadora opened near the cinema!" At Mrunali's confused look, she laughed. "The lush green one with swinging benches and twinkling fairy lights! We have to rest our tired feet there!"
The cousins eagerly agreed, linking arms as they changed course for the garden oasis. Mrunali frowned slightly, foreboding replacing her earlier contentment. With the hour growing late, she didn't relish being out in the open, let alone in a secluded garden. Images of drunken boys and mocking laughter whispered warnings in her ear...urging her to make excuses and head straight home where it was safe.
Oblivious to her sister's hesitation, Meera seized Mrunali's hand, tugging her along. "Yaar please! It's too pretty a night to end it cooped indoors!" Unable to resist her twin's infectious enthusiasm, Mrunali pushed aside her dark premonitions and allowed Meera to pull her down the corridor toward their tranquil destination.
Fairy lights draped the entrance of the intimate vrukshadora, spilling warm light onto a clear grassy patch. A hand-painted sign read "Couples Only Beyond This Point". Mrunali started to object, but Meera waved her concerns away.
"Don't be silly, Mrunu! They don't enforce that rule! My friends come here all the time to hang out!" With that, she disappeared down the tree-lined path, Anjali and Neha at her heels. Shooting a wary glance at the ominous sign, Mrunali hurried after them before she got left behind.
As the faint sound of laughter and splashing water reached her ears, she felt her instincts prickling...trying to warn her they had ventured somewhere they shouldn't. Picking up her pace, Mrunali hurried around a curve in the path...and stumbled right into her worst fears coming true.
YOU ARE READING
Uncaged
Mystery / Thriller"Uncaged" follows the tumultuous journey of Mrunali, an 18-year-old girl battling deep insecurities and societal pressures. She starts as an underconfident teenager constantly belittled by her peers, but through a series of harrowing experiences, Mr...
